Fire service welcomes new recruits

Posted: Monday 30th April 2018

The newest firefighters to join Hertfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service officially passed out from their basic training at Longfield Training Centre, Stevenage at the weekend (Saturday 28 April).

Darryl said: “I would like to congratulate all the new recruits and welcome them to their new roles. They stand at the beginning of a unique career which offers them an exceptional range of opportunities and experiences. They have worked extremely hard to achieve the high standards we expect from our firefighters and complete this challenging course. They will now play a key role in their stations across the county to help keep the people of Hertfordshire safe.”

The new recruits are:

Wayne Ansell, 43, from Hoddesdon, who will be posted to Red Watch Cheshunt

Igkli Bariami, 24, from Bishop’s Stortford, who will be posted to White Watch Hertford

Joe Berry, 30, from Hemel Hempstead, who will be posted to Red Watch St Albans

Jason Calder, 23, from Dunstable, who will be posted to Red Watch Garston

Oliver Dent, 22, from Buntingford, who will be posted to Blue Watch Cheshunt

Mac Engledew, 43, from Welwyn, who will be posted to White Watch Welwyn Garden City

Ross Harries, 24, from Hemel Hempstead, who will be posted to White Watch Borehamwood

Paul Honeyman, 31, from St Albans, who will be posted to White Watch St Albans

Gus Maby, 22, from Cheshunt, who will be posted to Cheshunt Green Watch

Luke Morris, 21, from Barnet, who will be posted to Green Watch Borehamwood

Jack Perkins, 27, from Ware, who will be posted to Green Watch Hertford

David Thomas, 32, from Hemel Hempstead, who will be posted to Red Watch Borehamwood

Darryl Keen added: “These new recruits should be very proud of themselves for completing this challenging training, proving their dedication.

“Each one of them has gained an essential grounding in the diverse range of skills needed to be an effective firefighter. These include both operational work and fire prevention, as they will spend a lot of their time in the community, educating members of the public about fire hazards as well as fighting fires. I’m sure they will make a great contribution to their stations and the local communities they serve.”

The new recruits are the first in the UK to be trained under a new Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship Standard, developed by UK fire services to ensure new firefighters are trained to a high and consistent standard. The course covers essential subjects such as firecraft, breathing apparatus, fire behaviour and tactical ventilation, road traffic collision, first aid and trauma care. Their training will now continue at their individual stations where they will maintain and develop these skills.